SpaceX and other space news updates

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Ag_of_08
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AG
Why would they need to man rate the booster?

Launch the orion stack on a falcon heavy uncrewed. Launch a crew dragon to rendezvous in Leo, then make the TLI burn.

It's still significantly cheaper, and should require a fraction of the development costs.
jkag89
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Maybe short term but wouldn't it be cheaper in the long run (and safer since it would not require a crew transfer) to man rate the Falcon Heavy? Question asked out of ignorance what is the process to man rate a booster.
Decay
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jkag89 said:

Maybe short term but wouldn't it be cheaper in the long run (and safer since it would not require a crew transfer) to man rate the Falcon Heavy? Question asked out of ignorance what is the process to man rate a booster.

I think you need to look at it like Falcon and FH are the stopgap solutions until starship is operational. They could go through all that for FH but really the goal is Starship. So I think there's no long-term reason for a man rated FH
PJYoung
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AG




Boost 14 testing today.

EDIT: Turned out to be a tanking test plus spin prime.
nortex97
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Ag_of_08 said:

Why would they need to man rate the booster?

Launch the orion stack on a falcon heavy uncrewed. Launch a crew dragon to rendezvous in Leo, then make the TLI burn.

It's still significantly cheaper, and should require a fraction of the development costs.
FH isn't man-rated either, and the aerodynamics of the boosters with Orion especially would be be problematic I think. Plus, no idea if horizontal integration would work for Orion (I think Falcon vertical was discussed, can't remember).

Nice to see ship 35 construction progress:


Some speculation about the starship launchpad at 39A/parts in Florida out of cover is interesting (maybe launch from BC pad B before proceeding with the Florida one further). It makes sense to try to finalize the basic booster bidet/trench and total height/connectors before trying to get going really in Florida.
normaleagle05
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Just watched the live Falcon 9 Starlink launch. I catch one every week or two. During decent, I noticed this one had a higher number of significant digits in the booster's altitude value. It was expressed to the nearest tenth of a kilometer.

Have I not been paying attention? Or is this a change?
PJYoung
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AG
Booster static fire testing this morning for Test Flight #7




Timeline:

Around 40 minutes after prop load starts to engine firing
Around 20 minutes til engine firing after you see engine chill start

Looks like it was slightly faster than that - maybe close to a minute quicker.



aTmAg
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AG
What is the goal of flight #7?

I assume catch the booster, but what else?
PJYoung
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Mainly testing out block 2 of Starship.

Tons of enhancements on this version of Starship

Quote:

Block 2 Structural Enhancements
Propellant Capacity
25% increase in propellant capacity, allowing for greater range and payload capabilities
Ship propellant load increased to 1,500 tons

Dimensions
Ship height increased to 52.1 meters

Performance Upgrades
Payload Capacity
Ability to carry over 100 tons to low-Earth orbit when reused
Prioritization of mass over volume compared to Block 1

Thrust Improvements
Ship initial thrust increased to 1,600 tf

Design Modifications
Aerodynamic Changes
Thinner forward flap design, positioned more leeward for improved aerodynamics
Smaller, repositioned forward flaps for better heat shield construction

Structural Features
Integrated vented interstage
Two "raceways" added to the structure

Propulsion Advancements
Engine Configuration
Utilization of both Raptor 2.5 and Raptor 3 engines
Removal of secondary engine shielding due to Raptor 3 implementation

Manufacturing Improvements
Enhanced manufacturing processes
Improved heat shield tiles

Increased flow rates
Added redundancy in information transfer

Additional Features
Redesigned tank domes
Reduced payload fairing volume to 600 cubic meters, optimizing for mass rather than volume
aTmAg
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AG
Are they using Raptor 3s yet?
PJYoung
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aTmAg said:

Are they using Raptor 3s yet?
no

The original list I had included booster block 2

The major changes for this version of Starship is that it has a much increased capacity for propellant - 300 tons more! Because they shrunk the barrel section for the payload bay, gained tank volume.

Trying to get 100 tons of payload to low earth orbit.

2nd major change is smaller flaps located more leeward which should eliminate the plasma getting into the hinge area on the flaps. So the testing on re-entry will be a big deal. The heat shield tiles are tougher as well.

aTmAg
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AG
Sorry for all the questions. I'm sure I could find this out using google, but maybe others here would like to see the answers.

Is the mission profile is the same? Or now that they proved they can relight the raptors, are they going to be able to orbit the earth and land the starship somewhere in the Gulf?
PJYoung
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aTmAg said:

Sorry for all the questions. I'm sure I could find this out using google, but maybe others here would like to see the answers.

Is the mission profile is the same? Or now that they proved they can relight the raptors, are they going to be able to orbit the earth and land the starship somewhere in the Gulf?
This mission profile will be the same - early morning launch, night time landing of Starship in the Indian Ocean and trying to catch the booster back at the pad.

Elon has said they will try to land Starship back at the pad after they successfully land Starship in the ocean 3 times. This would be the 3rd time.

It is thought that Starship coming back to the pad would take up to 9 orbits but I don't think that's clear yet.

I personally expect to see them try that sometime in late 2025 but it's Elon so who knows. Nobody really believed him when he said they would try to catch the booster at the pad that quickly.

What SpaceX WANTS to do and what governments ALLOW them to do are probably 2 different things since bringing Starship back would entail them flying over some populated areas including Monterrey, Mexico which has a population of over 5 million.

Just Saturday I was listening to the NSF live stream and Chris Berger mentioned that the shuttle disaster in 2003 would've certainly cost MANY lives on the ground if it had broken up just 1 minute earlier since that would've put the debris field directly on top of the DFW metroplex. So there are safety considerations with such a new program.
PJYoung
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will25u
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fullback44
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They gonna launch the bananas?
hph6203
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Nancy Pelosi stocking up for banana splits.
ABATTBQ11
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My DXYZ is up about 75%. Can't decide if I should get out or buy more and ride it through the next launch...
Fightin_Aggie
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ABATTBQ11 said:

My DXYZ is up about 75%. Can't decide if I should get out or buy more and ride it through the next launch...


Why is it up so much this week? Been watching for awhile
The world needs mean tweets

My Pronouns Ultra and MAGA

Trump 2024
ABATTBQ11
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Fightin_Aggie said:

ABATTBQ11 said:

My DXYZ is up about 75%. Can't decide if I should get out or buy more and ride it through the next launch...


Why is it up so much this week? Been watching for awhile


No idea. Really it was headed up last week. Started this week a little down from last Friday, but back up today. I got in at about $40 in mid November and was thinking I'd gotten in near the bubble for a bit, then last week I looked and it was in the upper $60's and it's been touching near mid $70's a couple times. Maybe the news about the tender offer or launch in January might be pushing interest?
txags92
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I got in at around 45 when it pulled back from the 70s and then bought more at 57 a little over a day ago. Being invested in the companies it is in, I can see lots of folks wanting to jump on board as proxies for their success. Not sure where it ends up, but I am enjoying the ride so far.
ABATTBQ11
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Yeah, kicking myself for not buying more. Typically I only do mutual funds with the intention to just let it ride long term. This, on the other hand, is maybe more short or midterm since it's a closed end fund and detached from the value of the underlying assets, and I wasn't comfortable putting much in it because I didn't want to risk a lot of money on an instrument I'm not really familiar with.
will25u
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aggie orbitalwelder
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Catch pins?
nortex97
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I think those are just the lifting pins. Catch pins will be higher and have a downcomer bit.
will25u
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BMach
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will25u said:




Has spacex bought everyone out in Boca Chica yet? Will this swallow Boca Chica?
will25u
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will25u
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SOL 1394/738 of the primary mission for Perseverance Rover on Mars!

ABATTBQ11
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RIP Ingenuity. You'll always fly high in our hearts.
Mateo84
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Those are amazing images
will25u
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TexAgs91
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will25u said:

SOL 1394/738 of the primary mission for Perseverance Rover on Mars!


"I"? I didn't realize it was manned. Wow!
ABATTBQ11
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Please tell me they're testing with a payload of bananas...
Decay
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With AI you don't need a human being to have a robot emulate all of the various emotions the meat bags cling to!
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